


firewhiskey

by kuntens



Series: enchanted [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Drunken Confessions, M/M, Side!Johnil, honestly everyone are so dumb it makes my eye twitch, markhyuck breathe for 0.1 second but they'll have their own work anyway, sicheng the only one with a single braincell, yuta's love life is... complicated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-02-04 17:48:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18609466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuntens/pseuds/kuntens
Summary: drinking for an all-nighter with youngho wasn’t taeyong’s best decision but his drunk self deciding to spill a secret was definitely a worse one.(taeyong x ten, side johnny x taeil, hogwarts!au)





	1. hangover

**Author's Note:**

> for this au to make sense I had to change their ages, so 7th years are 23, 6th years are 22, 5th years are 21, so on. 94 & 95 line are 7th year, 96 & 97 line are 6th year, 98 & 99 line are 5th year, etc.

_I swear to Merlin your death will be by me Seo Youngho._

Taeyong groaned as he propped himself up in bed, not worried about bothering his roommates knowing he was surely already late for Transfiguration. Since punctuality was the second name of Hufflepuffs, his roommates were supposed to be gone – which Taeyong mumbled a _thanks_ to, they all were. The idea of running to class as fast as possible crossed his mind before another wave of pain bloomed in his head, making him clench his jaw to stop another groan.

 _I should’ve never agreed to drink with Youngho, never._ He knew he should’ve just told his friend off and went to practice for his upcoming Transfiguration test, but the firewhiskey bottle in Youngho’s hands was too irresistible and he had insisted that Taeyong needed to be distracted – which was true, maybe a little too much. If nothing, Taeyong could’ve just went back to his own dorm after the first glass but of course he had to drink three in a row knowing he was a whole lightweight. Of course the dear Head Boy of Hogwarts was nowhere near being a lightweight, so Taeyong had no chance to wait for him to stop either.

And, he remembered legit nothing. Everything that happened after the half of the second glass was just a blur, with no idea whatsoever about what happened – he didn’t even know how he ended up in his dorm. Taeyong shook his head as he pushed himself out of the bed, heading towards the bathrooms on his weak legs that barely kept him standing in hopes cleaning up would help him feel a little better.

About half an hour later, Taeyong was dressed up in his robes walking to the Great Hall where he’d find his friends and learn what the hell had happened, still wanting scream thanks to the headache. He took a side note to stop by the infirmary later to get something for the pain but Taeyong was a simple man with a prior simple need; food.

It wasn’t lunch time yet but two of his friends were already in the Great Hall as they always did, turning towards him as he approached with an expression meant to look calm.

“Morning, Taeil.” Taeyong nodded at Taeil, his fellow seventh year and a Ravenclaw, as he took a seat across them and completely ignored the certain Gryffindor next to him on purpose.

Youngho sighed, looking up to stare at Taeyong. “Morning, Yong.”

“Is this,” Taeil chimed in with his casual I’m-About-To-Drop-A-Fact voice. “where I remind you two it’s almost noon and technically not morning?”

Taeyong and Youngho shared a gaze with the unspoken _are all Ravenclaws this annoying_ statement that was discussed between the two often, until Taeyong remembered he was supposed to be angry at Youngho and looked away.  

“What would we do if we didn’t have you?” Taeyong managed to give a little smile, beginning to rub his temples.

“Fail Herbology, for a start.” Taeil cracked a grin before shifting his gaze to the notes spread in front of him.

It was Youngho this time to answer in bore. “Thanks Taeil. We really can’t live without you, right, Yong-”

“ _Don’t you dare_ say another word to me!” Taeyong snapped in a way that was too dramatic and too petty but he was just _pissed_. “Not while I’m here suffering because of you!”

Youngho rested his arm on the table, the other on Taeil’s shoulder. "I didn’t tell you to drink that much.”

“It was your idea!”

“I’m not your babysitter.”

“As you _shouldn’t_ be.” Taeyong complained knowing too damn well he shouldn’t blame it on his friend. “The poor kid you’re looking after would die in five minutes at most.”

Youngho raised his hands in surrender. “Are you gonna go to Charms?”

“Don’t think so.” Taeyong closed his eyes tightly as another tide of pain hit. “I’ll go ask Madam Kim if she can give me something for the headache.”

“Dude, you’re Professor Kim’s favourite.” Youngho exclaimed, gaping and Taeil pushed Youngho’s hand off himself since he had the opportunity. “He’ll kill you if you miss his class.”

Taeyong took a look through his lashes. “Not like I can focus on anything, plus – I probably know whatever he’s teaching, I’m good at Charms.”

“Arrogance-”

“ _-is never good!”_  The other two cut Taeil off at once, followed by Youngho adding in bore _again_. “We know, Taeil. You repeat this every damn day.”

Until something else popped up in his mind, Taeyong watched Taeil brushing it off with a hand motion. “Youngho, do you know if the sixth years are out of DADA?”

“They aren’t.” Youngho shook his head. “Professor gave the entire class a detention – which is honestly just cleaning their own mess.”

Taeil furrowed his brows, stopping his quill mid-sentence. “What kind of detention is that?”

Youngho made a grimace as he remembered the details that surely weren’t so refreshing judging from his face. “From what I’ve heard, in middle of the class one of the Slytherin girls hexed a Gryffindor boy with a… disturbance in the intestines, to say the least.”

“Oh.”

“That’s not the end though – another Gryffindor backfired.” Youngho rubbed his forehead. “He hit that girl with a good bunch of curses – pretty damn creative, I’m proud – and in short, the Gryffindor boy and the Slytherin girl are in the infirmary for now and the rest of the class are currently facing Professor’s wrath.”

“Amazing.” Taeyong pouted his lower lip. “I needed to ask Ten about something.”

 “I… wasn’t expecting you to be looking for Ten.” Taeil finally paused writing, stretching his arms. “Or just any of the Slytherins, honestly.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Taeyong blinked in confusion.

Youngho scratched his nape in an attempt to look away. “I know you’re good with every single one in this castle – hell, even that old hag Filch – but after you…”

“I – what?” Taeyong’s heart was reacting fast, maybe even too fast. “Did something happen?”

“You don’t remember?”

Taeyong answered Youngho’s question with a brief nod.

The two across him shared a gaze that could be interpreted as pity, until Taeil cleared his throat to begin. “You… confessed.”

“…your feelings.” Youngho’s face was even more awkward than Taeil’s. “For Ten. While he and the other Slytherins were there.”

The world might’ve stopped that second.

Before Taeyong got the chance to react or even just think, a group dressed in emerald robes opened the door in their usual elegance. He immediately picked out a few familiar faces among them; like Kim Doyoung with an annoyed and slightly disgusted look under his jet black strands, and the short boy who wasn’t even in sight yet whose laugh was noticed by Taeyong maybe a bit too easily. Taeyong’s stomach twisted to the thought of seeing him and, he became sure that he couldn’t handle this – he needed air. Now.

Ignoring the voices calling out his name –especially that slightly accented one– and the complaints from his empty stomach, Taeyong sprinted out of the Great Hall with his robes flapping behind. Running was not the best choice but neither was staying there, and most importantly he was scared. Scared of doing something wrong. 

Taeyong later found himself in the gardens, chest rising up and down in hopes of some oxygen but he didn’t feel like stopping until he crashed into someone. Before his butt hit the ground, he noticed green fabrics and some messy hair.

“Hey there, dumbass.” The honey voice with a noticeable accent said as the owner of it grabbed Taeyong’s hand and pulled him up with the least force.

“Nice to see you too, Yuta.” Taeyong made his voice sound as sarcastic as possible but since he was speaking to his fellow seventh year, Slytherin’s Nakamoto Yuta whose league in sarcasm was way over Taeyong’s, it made no sense.

Before he could try to clean his jeans, Yuta was handing him a plastic bag and pulling his wand out. “I got whatever I could.” He swung the wand in the air once, muttering a spell to clean the mud off the older’s clothes.

Taeyong had to swallow the knot in his throat to be able to give an answer after seeing that his friend had gotten some cookies and pie with some tea in a thermos– and that was quite the surprise since Yuta, a pureblood, had never really understood Muggle devices. “How did you – alright, I’m not even going to ask.”

“I know you too well.” Yuta’s plush lips curled into a smirk, mocking but still somehow genuine. “I knew you’d be hungover since I saw how much you drank and I didn’t see you during breakfast nor around the first classes –I miss my deskmate! Hence, I assumed you overslept. The rest took just a few lucky guesses and a little trip to the kitchens.”

Taeyong _could_ cry. “I… thanks.”

“No problem.” Yuta paused as if he remembered something, and pulled out a little glass bottle from one of his pockets. “And… here. I brew something for the headache.”

“What would I do without you?” Taeyong smiled in relief.

“Die.”

Taeyong sighed, deciding Taeil’s response to the same question was a lot more relieving.

Yuta gave an even brighter smile which Taeyong would’ve thought was impossible if he didn’t know the boy, and pushed back some of his bangs that covered his forehead with a dark brown. When Taeyong used to have the same colour on his hair the two were often mistaken to be related, or even twins- while Yuta was Japanese and had transferred from Mahoutokoro a couple of years ago, Taeyong was Korean and raised in Britain. For _sure_ they were related. It all had stopped thankfully when Taeyong had managed to charm his hair to a pastel pink and earned a congratulation from the Charms professor. He liked the colour, what could he say?

Knowing Yuta was the definition of street smart, Taeyong chose to ask for a little guidance. “Do you know that I…”

“Did something stupid?” Yuta shrugged. “Please, darling. That’s what you do all the time, I wasn’t even surprised.”

Taeyong wrinkled his nose. “Well, _thank you._ But since you do know I’m just going to ask… what should I do?”

In a second, Yuta’s gaze turned into something a lot more understanding. “If you’re coming to _me_ for relationship advice, you should be in a real bad situation.”

“Oh, I forgot.” Taeyong gave a small smile to indicate an apology. “Is it still not going well with Sicheng?”

Yuta’s face reacted to the name of that certain housemate in a second, his eyes getting hooded and darker under his bangs. His hands tightening into fists were noticeable, too noticeable.

Just when Taeyong was about to ask if he had done something wrong, Yuta lifted his chin and placed his signature grin on his face. “Well, his loss, am I right?”

Taeyong genuinely envied the way Yuta was able to hide his emotions so well. He could be on the very edge of breaking down and yet, Yuta would still smile and joke around like it was nothing; a skill Taeyong could never truly master. _You’re like a book left open on the showcase of Flourish & Blotts, _Taeil would always say. _Legit anyone can read you._

“Yes, it is.” If there was one thing Taeyong knew about his best friend, it was that Yuta would close himself off as soon as you tried to break through his walls, it was the best to let him be if he didn’t want to talk about something.

“So.” Yuta shook his head in a puppy like manner to get his hair out of his face. “What’s the plan?”

“Huh?”

“I’m pretty sure I can conduct an obliviating spell – that guy Lockhart wasn’t completely useless– or maybe, Amortentia?” Yuta’s gaze was dozed off already into thoughts. “I know it wouldn’t feel real but still, better than nothing-”

Taeyong stopped him, raising a hand. “Bloody hell, Nakamoto.”

Yuta just stared.

“Chill out a bit.” Taeyong pressed his lips in a thin line. “I don’t know what to do but your suggestions make the situation worse like they always do.”

A sigh. “Your faith in me is something I deeply adore.”

“Shut it, fool.” Taeyong rolled his eyes. “I _am_ going to fix it without help. Somehow.”

Yuta gave Taeyong’s shoulder a light pat. “Well then, good luck.”

The amount of arrogance dripping from his voice was certainly impressive.

Following the not-so-helpful words, Yuta did a turn on his heels and left Taeyong alone to his thoughts only.

But even that didn’t go on for long.

It was probably a couple of minutes later when Taeyong heard footsteps coming behind and tensed up where he was sitting on the damp grass, knowing who was the owner of those steps. _Now that’s not creepy Taeyong, sure_.

“Taeyong?” The voice that called out his name made Taeyong’s stomach drop and jump to his feet right away. “I know you’re there, please!”

He struggled up, barely breathing and Ten shouted again. “ _Taeyong!_ ”

Taeyong couldn’t do this now. He couldn’t.

His eyes frantically searched for a way out as he hurried to gather his stuff. He started walking towards the only other exit, then running. Taeyong could hear Ten’s voice calling his name out as clear as glass but he couldn’t listen, he couldn’t, not while there wasn’t enough air in his lungs nor enough strength in his heart. He ran toward the door, he was about to get out, just a second- and the door closed. He had no choice but to turn around.

Ten dropped his hand that held his wand to the side. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Taeyong’s heart was at his throat. “Inside.”

“You ran away from me!” Ten’s voice cracked. “We’ve been friends for years and not _once_ you ran like that! I just… I wanted to talk.”

“About what?” Why was Taeyong even this nauseous, he had barely eaten? “There’s nothing-”

“I was there,” Ten pleaded. “There at Three Broomsticks, with the boys. I heard everything.”

Here came the crash. “I… Ten…”

“Look, we’ve been close friends for so long and I-”

“-it’s not what you think!” Now was Taeyong’s turn to have his voice crack. It shouldn’t hurt this much, it shouldn’t, but his chest burns like that god damned firewhiskey. “It was a dare, just that.”

Ten furrowed his brows. “I _know_ , damn it, that’s not what I’m talking about.”

“The dare was… I had to say that I like you out loud enough for you to be able to hear,” Taeyong lied through clenched teeth. “Youngho knew you were there, so he thought it would be a good one. It was cruel and I’m so sorry if I made you think it’s real, I don’t want this to ruin our friendship.”

“Then…” Ten’s grip on his wand relaxed visibly, and he seemed more… relieved? Disappointed? _Why would he be disappointed, I’m being ridiculous._ “Why did you run away? You could have just told me this.”

Taeyong swallowed. “I was too embarrassed.”

Ten chuckled dryly. “Regular you.”

“Alright…” Taeyong hugged himself, nodded. “See you around, then?”

“Of course,” Ten whispered.

 

Taeyong didn’t see Ten around.

Whenever Taeyong tried to talk to Ten, ask him to get lunch together and just talk he ended up bumping against a large obstacle. Ten kept finding excuses not to, even if they got ridiculous at some point but he avoided Taeyong at any costs. This was what Taeyong exactly had been worried about and now he had done it, ruined their friendship. He didn’t have any hope for a romantic relationship with Ten anyway- Ten was a Slytherin Prefect, known by the entire school, and Taeyong was just a relatively smart Muggleborn boy with a couple of friends. Ten could never be anything more than a friend to Taeyong.

Even when it came to just being friends, Taeyong lacked a lot. Ten had quite the pack of tight bound Slytherins with him, they were family and there was no need or place for Taeyong there. There was Yuta, first of all -despite being Taeyong’s best friend he was quite close with his housemates, also. A potions genius with golden robes from Mahoutokoro meaning he brought honour there. Kim Doyoung, with a high position Ministry worker as a brother, was one of the best students in Hogwarts. Then the last two, the brothers- Dong Sicheng and Lee Donghyuck, both rumoured Death Eaters.

Taeyong was afraid of those two the most, frankly. Not just because he was a Muggleborn and even the thought of Death Eaters made his heart beat madly, but those two were so simply scary. Sicheng was the epitome of the word ‘scary’, if anything. He didn’t speak unless it was necessary and even then it was quiet, he moved like a shadow and his gaze made it seem like he could see right through one’s mind. People said he never wore anything short sleeved to hide the Dark Mark, but who knows? The actual dangerous one was Donghyuck though, Taeyong _knew_. Tattooed and pierced Donghyuck who was a Metamorphmagus and was told to be doing wandless magic, even.

Now how could Taeyong even hope to find a place for himself in Ten’s life while he was surrounded by these people?

To be fair, Taeyong much preferred his own friends. Even though Taeil was too introverted and Youngho was too dumb sometimes, Taeyong loved them- they seemed to love each other a lot more, though, poor third wheel Taeyong. Youngho’s three other Gryffindor friends –Jaehyun, Jungwoo, Mark- were there occasionally. Of course there was Yuta too, Yuta who never acted like a snobby rich pureblood; Taeyong’s dear platonic soulmate. But not even Yuta was able to save Taeyong from the Slytherins’ wrath this time.

Wherever Taeyong went, at least one of the guys happened to be there- Taeyong be damned if he knew why. Donghyuck’s silver gaze pierced him across the Great Hall during lunch, Doyoung opened his books louder than usual when he was at the library sitting at a table close to Taeyong’s; Taeyong could swear he even caught on to Sicheng following him through the shadows multiple times. Yuta, thank Merlin, was there whenever Youngho or Taeil wasn’t and that was enough to send at least Doyoung who seemed to have a Yuta allergy away. Donghyuck admired Yuta too much to go against what he said, at least Yuta assured Taeyong so. Sicheng was a whole different tune, though.

The war getting worse out of the school didn’t make the very Muggleborn Taeyong feel any better about getting stalked by two alleged Death Eaters and their friends, either. He was already scared enough about the end of the school year without all this- where was Taeyong even supposed to go, he couldn’t put his family under that risk but where else did he have? And now, he was simply terrified. The only thing Taeyong found a bit of comfort in was having Aurors all around, especially Choi Minho and Zhang Yixing were friendly towards all students and always assured them that everything was well. Even with all this Taeyong didn’t feel so safe anymore on top of all his stupid problems.

It was all Youngho’s fault.

“I already feel bad,” Youngho admitted one day when Taeyong burst it out on their way to the Lake for study purposes. “You can go on without shoving it into my face.”

Taeyong hugged his books to his chest, huffing. “Yeah, sorry but I’m still petty about it. Deal with me.”

“As if I haven’t been for years.” Youngho’s chuckle was painful. “I would wish at least one of us would have a good love life, but no. Absolutely no luck.”

That was some news. “I thought you and Taeil were together?”

“Yeah, no.” Youngho’s bottom lip stuck out. “He just keeps pushing me away and it’s been months since I asked him out.”

Though new, it wasn’t so surprising. Taeyong knew Taeil’s feelings better than anyone else when it came to the certain Gryffindor. Taeil went to bed every night with that t-shirt he had stolen from Youngho ages ago, just because it had Youngho’s scent; Taeil was completely head over heels. They had never talked about it, but Taeyong could still understand why Taeil kept refusing. _And Youngho deserves to know… they deserve to be happy_.

Taeyong cleared his throat then. “Have you even considered why?”

Youngho’s brows knitted together. “I just thought he doesn’t like me back but it makes no sense. Then why would he let me kiss him? We… almost went _there_ even, you know what I mean…”

“He’s scared,” Taeyong said briefly.

“What?”

 Thankfully, Taeyong had lots of patience. “He’s scared. Youngho, he’s a Muggleborn like me who isn’t used to the wizarding world at all and you’re a pureblood, meaning that if he chooses a life with you he has to adjust to all this. And of course, the war. It’s not safe for him anywhere. He likes you but he’s just afraid, do you get it?”

It sent Youngho into utter silence for the next minute- something Taeyong thought he would never get to experience. “I… never even thought of that,” He said weakly when he spoke at last.

“I doubt you think at all,” was all Taeyong said until they arrived at the lake. The three of them studied there quite often since it was peaceful and Youngho, the mountain man, enjoyed fresh air which both Taeil and Taeyong got a liking of in the span of years. This time Taeil was not present since he was busy tutoring a few second years- a Ravenclaw thing, Taeyong assumed.

Once they went through the DADA notes Taeyong stopped, realizing Youngho wasn’t listening. It wasn’t that Youngho didn’t try but he couldn’t focus, Taeyong knew that least. “Alright lovebug, are you going to try at all?”

“I _am_ ,” Youngho sighed as he dropped his large body onto the ground on their blanket. “I just… you know what? You’re in no position to make fun of me.”

Taeyong smiled sadly. “True, but at least I know for sure were my relationship status stands.”

“Funny.” Youngho closed his eyes. “I should talk to Taeil, doesn’t he know I’d protect him with my own life if necessary? Or that I’d go live a Muggle life if he asked, I wouldn’t even hesitate…”

“ _Taeil_ is the one that needs to hear that, not me.”

“I kn-”

“-ah, look at the lovebirds!” Taeyong flinched as soon as he heard the sharp voice, looked up to see he was right about worrying. Doyoung was approaching with a cold smile and right behind him was the person Taeyong wanted to see the least.

Youngho sat up in an instant. “The hell?”

Doyoung crossed his arms. “What? You two are a having a cute little date here, no need to shy off.”

“Doyoung,” Ten shifted to another leg, biting his lip. “Maybe we should-”

Doyoung shut Ten up with a simple gesture.

What Taeyong wouldn’t give to disappear off the world right now.

“Misunderstanding,” Youngho says, changing to his ‘Head Boy’ voice, the serious one. “We were studying.”

“It’s a fairly easy situation to misunderstand.” Doyoung toyed with the words on his tongue. “How fortunate your _boyfriend_ isn’t here, Seo.”

“What are you implying?” Youngho’s gaze narrowed and Taeyong didn’t know whether to hex Doyoung to shut up or take Youngho and leave. _I should just apparate to Antarctica or something._

“A bloke in a relationship with his very much _single_ mate, staying alone, says a lot.” The emphasis on ‘single’ made Taeyong want to scream again.

What Doyoung wasn’t aware of was Youngho’s anger issues, though. “How _dare_ you? Who the fuck do you think you are to be saying I’m cheating on Taeil with one of my closest friends?”

 “You should have thought of it before,” Doyoung hissed and moved closer to poke a finger into Youngho’s chest. “ _Before_ you hurt-”

_Hurt?_

 “-like hell I did!”

That was all Taeyong could take. He made the most out of the two arguing as he strode towards the certain boy who hid behind Doyoung’s larger frame. “Ten,” Taeyong whispered as low as possible.

Ten got startled, flinching back and eyes widening. “Taeyong…?”

“Please take Doyoung and go, please.” Taeyong was pleading with no shame at all. “They’re going to do something stupid.”

“Yes.” But Ten didn’t seem to actually hear Taeyong, he just agreed out of reflex. He looked… worried? Afraid? Taeyong couldn’t tell right away but there was something. Ten’s eyes weren’t focused, he wasn’t seeing Taeyong even and he breathed so heavily that his chest rising up every second was visible.

Taeyong waited. Ten did nothing.

Every second Youngho and Taeyong got closer and their voices turned louder, the worry nibbling into Taeyong’s stomach worsened along. Ten was still frozen, eyes scanning around in panic and hands balled into fists.

“Ten?” Taeyong hesitated to touch Ten’s shoulder and shake him awake. “Ten!”

“I… I don’t know what to do.” Ten shook his head, voice also shaking. “I can’t…”

This was a first.

Ten was a prefect that was surely to be the next Head Boy, responsible of all students and he always knew what to do- him being like this was something Taeyong had never seen. Ten was perfect in every way possible, this could not be the Ten Taeyong knew. _It was my own stupidity… Ten is just human._

Taeyong’s eyes averted around, neither he nor Ten could dare finish this, how- he was able to take a deep breath in relief when he saw the two figures coming their way.

“What the fuck are you guys doing?” Taeyong had never been so grateful to hear Yuta’s slight Japanese accent storming like this.

Youngho turned around once he saw who the other one was. “Jaehyun?”

Jung Jaehyun whose Irish heritage clearly showed in his ginger hair and freckles, and who was a member of Youngho’s close knit circle of Gryffindors, nodded. “I leave you for one second and you’re already doing this.” His smile was small, so small and forced as if even that least hurt.

It was like a switch was turned off in Youngho. “Sorry,” he said, pulling away from the still angry Doyoung. It amazed Taeyong how Jaehyun was able to calm Youngho down so fast… he had always known that Youngho was closer to those three boys rather than Taeyong and Taeil but it still was a hurting realization.

Yuta headed towards Doyoung right away who tried to avoid it but still couldn’t stop Yuta from grabbing his arm. “Hands off,” Doyoung hissed and Yuta dragged himself away as if Doyoung just pushed him away. What even was with those two?

Taeyong’s gaze then moved to where Jaehyun was convincing Youngho to go, and something caught his eye- Jaehyun wore a sweatshirt that Taeyong found too hot for the spring weather, and its collar that was slid to one side showed something… something Taeyong didn’t have enough time to process before Jaehyun covered it up and Taeyong had to look away with his face burning in embarrassment.

Yuta argued with Doyoung in a hushed tone, leaning towards while Doyoung simply stared down at him, lips curled into a frown. No matter how much Doyoung seemed to hate him, Yuta was still their eldest and had authority over the other four- Yuta was what Youngho was to the Gryffindors with his Slytherins, if that was the term. Doyoung ended up agreeing to whatever Yuta said with a nod, even though he still had a mask forged of half anger half disgust on his face. He shot one last glare towards Youngho, then left turning around on his heels and bumping onto Yuta’s shoulder, likely on purpose.

Ten’s death grip on Taeyong’s forearm relaxed, since when had he been even holding onto Taeyong? Taeyong stiffened, the urge to push that hand away growing every second but Ten still was so tense that Taeyong couldn’t do that to him. _And I’m touch starved, honestly_.

“Well,” Youngho breathed out. “It was… interesting.”

Jaehyun threw an arm around Youngho, making it look casual while it in fact was leading Youngho. “It was, now we should leave.”

Youngho squeezed Taeyong’s shoulder as an apology as he left, he was never good with words. And now Taeyong was alone with the two Slytherins, Yuta hugging himself and avoiding Taeyong with Ten doing the exact opposite by holding onto Taeyong.

“What the _hell_ even happened?” Yuta’s question broke the silence. “That made no sense at all.”

Ten sighed, his bottom lip quivering slightly. “I and Doyoung were looking for Tae. Doyoung saw Youngho and went to fight because- yeah, he wouldn’t even listen to me.”

Taeyong’s brows formed a straight line. “Tae?” _This alone is weird, and I just know Ten’s hiding why Doyoung did that. He knows why._

“My cat.” Ten averted his gaze. “Do you know Kim Taeyeon? She was on the cover of Witch Weekly this month as one of the best singers these days. Kind of embarrassing, but she’s one of my favourites… and who I named my cat after. You’ve got to know her!”

Admittedly and a bit embarrassedly, Taeyong who was raised with his mother’s Led Zeppelin collection had no idea or interest who Kim Taeyeon was.  “Yeah, of course,” He lied.

Ten didn’t dig deeper. “I’m sorry for all these.”

“It’s not your fault,” Taeyong’s lips moved out of pure reflex. He had no idea who to blame, maybe himself, but comforting Ten was no harm either.

With a sigh, Ten shook his head. “What will I even tell Professor Lee? I’m a Prefect, I’m supposed to be _stopping_ this type of behaviour…”

 _Professor Lee._ Potions teacher and the Head of Slytherin Lee Taemin, sent shivers down Taeyong’s spine just with the mention of his name. He had done nothing harmful, no, absolutely nothing and not just the Slytherins but all the castle -as Taeil had mentioned before too- loved him deeply. But Lee Taemin’s dark, hooded eyes held secrets for all Taeyong could sense, unnerving to say the very least.

Yuta’s brown curls bounced to the sides, sharp eyes full of thoughts. “You’ll tell him that Doyoung and Youngho fought, simple as it is.”

“Unless he asks the reason specifically.” Ten’s eyes caught onto Taeyong for a second before he took them away again like a deer caught in headlights.

Something itched at the back of Taeyong’s head. “Do you two know why?”

Yuta and Ten shared an awkward gaze, neither said a word.

“I should go,” Ten said in a hurry, fingers pressed against his temple. “And… ten points off both Gryffindor and Slytherin.” As he hurried away not a single other gaze came from Ten to Taeyong.

After Ten disappeared between the trees, Taeyong lunged to grab Yuta’s arm tight. “Why the hell did Doyoung do that?”

“I can’t.” Yuta stared down at his shoes, foot tapping at the ground.

“I’m your best friend!”

An apology carving itself onto Yuta’s face to Taeyong’s insistence, his eyes rose to meet Taeyong’s pair. “You are, but I made a promise.”

“To who?” Taeyong pleaded.

“I can’t tell you, you have to trust me Taeyong, _please._ ” It was Yuta’s turn to beg. “Trust me.”

Taeyong yanked his hand away, jaw clenching. “Damn you Slytherins and your loyalty.”

“Damn us indeed,” Yuta sadly agreed with a nod.

As Yuta walked away and a cold wind brushed his hair back, Taeyong realized he was alone in the entire castle surrounded by a wall of everyone’s own secrets.


	2. sober

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is actually 90% moving the plot forward and 10% taeten i'm,,, sorry and i'm finishing this at midnight so it's barely proofread, my apologies-

Days turned to weeks turned to months and before Taeyong even knew it, the end of the year had come.

To be fair, it hadn’t been a great year. Ever since the whole scene by the lake Taeyong hadn’t been able to fix anything. For one, Ten didn’t spare him a gaze when they passed by each other in the halls and that was the only time they saw each other, so it was easy for Taeyong to say he had lost Ten completely. The other Slytherins weren’t as obvious as before now, at least. Every once in a while Taeyong felt a pair of silver eyes burning a hole at the back of his head but that was it, nothing more. It was nice not to live under constant surveillance.

The only thing keeping him just a little happy was the fact that Youngho had managed to sort things out with Taeil. Taeyong was just glad they could find happiness whereas Yuta and his constant hide and seek with Doyoung had still been going on. Yuta refused to explain anything further than asking if he could stay over with Taeyong when he wanted to avoid Doyoung, and Taeyong being the loving best friend he was had accepted it. That, and Yuta’s smartass surely came in handy when they had their NEWTs by the end of the year and they had to study. So he let Yuta hold onto his secrets.

 

There Taeyong was now, hunched over his Potions textbook at the Great Hall trying to get some food in his stomach before dinner ended. Yuta had to hide again and Taeil was busy snogging Youngho in a supply closet probably -they were supposed to be in class but Merlin knew they weren't there- and Taeyong being the lonely one he was, was sitting by the very end of the Hufflepuff table alone. He could of course go talk with someone else but no, he would not obviously.

Okay, maybe because he had an aim.

Staring at his crush from another table trying not to get caught might have been the most pathetic thing Taeyong had done in his entire life but he wasn’t embarrassed of it. Why should he, even? He missed Ten, damn it, he missed being friends and just making fun of each other to no end with cups of hot chocolate in hands at their most casual times. Taeyong could settle with that least.

Maybe… he should go talk to Ten. Yeah, he definitely should. Was hiding and pretending he was doing nothing going to get him anywhere? Taeyong doubted it. But what was he even supposed to talk about? _Hi, what do you think about the current status of the war? Oh yeah, we’re all going to die._

In the quiet noise of the Great Hall, the sound of the doors getting pushed open echoed loudly.

Taeyong really, really should have wished for something else.

A flood of black robes and silver masks rushed into Great Hall and Taeyong’s stomach twisted with nausea. Chaos unfolded, people screamed and cried and ran everywhere around as Taeyong simply stood frozen like a statue. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t move but he saw everything. He was going to die there, that least for sure. Then he noticed a familiar short figure in emerald robes raise his wand over there by the doors.

It hit. Even a pureblood Slytherin had the courage to go against Death Eaters and Taeyong was sitting there doing nothing, not even running away. That thought made Taeyong shake himself and stand up on his shaky legs, what _was_ he doing? He could at least run away and save himself!

Taeyong ran. He jumped over the broken table, almost tripping over it, missed on bumping into someone by a second and headed towards the door. His lungs burned in protest along with his legs –he needed to exercise more- but Taeyong carried on, he was almost there. A Ravenclaw girl he knew was struggling with her stand against a Death Eater right next to the doors. Even though bile traveled up from his stomach Taeyong didn’t stop to help. He _couldn’t._ Taeyong didn’t have near enough courage. His hands shook out of control and the only thing keeping him on his feet was adrenaline. How could he help?

He hoped the girl would be fine as he ran.

After running upstairs Taeyong found himself on the way to the library –at this point Taeyong’s legs were on the edge of giving up, but he kept on. The hall was eerily empty so Taeyong decided he could slow down a bit to save up some energy. His hand sought for his wand under the robes as the other brushed against the wall in search of some support, ending up collapsing against the cold stone surface. Taeyong had no shame that he ran away but his entire body ached so badly from all that effort that Taeyong wondered if it was _really_ worth running. He was alone at least… _alone._

Panic once again rose up Taeyong’s spine. Where were his friends? He knew Ten was at the Great Hall fighting along –and curiosity still nagged behind his head to learn what would happen it Taeyong went and talked to him. At this hour Gryffindors and Ravenclaws had a Herbology class so the Greenhouses were where Youngho and Taeil must be at. Taeyong had not a single damn idea about Yuta, nor the other friends of his.

That was where his mind went, other three Gryffindor friends of Youngho that Taeyong had occasionally hung out with. Mark who had tattoos all over along with multiple piercings and could kick arse when necessary but was also one of the most lighthearted people Taeyong knew. Sarcastic and kind of annoying but still smart and lovely Jungwoo with his warm hugs. Jaehyun’s poetry books and strength that doesn't match his kindness. Taeyong knew Gryffindors well enough to be able to tell that they would fight no doubt- he wished with his entire heart for them to be alright.

And God, the Slytherins… Taeyong was worried even about them. This was so unfair- the _war_ was so unfair. None of them deserved to get hurt… if only he could see his friends once more-

“ _Taeyong!_ ”

He should have wished for something else, really.

Taeyong’s head jerked up to look and there was Donghyuck running towards him, wand in hand and on his arm was… no. Taeyong had paid dust to those rumours but they were all correct after all. Before he could react Donghyuck was right in front of him. That was it, he guessed, the end.

“No, no-” Donghyuck’s hands grabbed at the collar of Taeyong’s shirt as Taeyong struggled on his weak legs to stand up and leave anywhere. “Listen to me you fool-”

Taeyong couldn’t. He was too scared that his brain couldn’t run with any function except the most basic one: Run. Survive.

“I’m not one of them.” Donghyuck’s hushed, British accented voice was like a slap on the face, hurrying. “I’m here to help-”

“ _You have the Dark Mark!_ ” Taeyong was louder than he should be, but he was just telling the truth. Donghyuck’s plain white t-shirt left his arms bare, and the large black tattoo on his forearm sat there like a painful reminder.

Donghyuck’s chuckle was dry. “My taste in tattoos is better than that, I assure you.”

Taeyong said nothing else, heart in his throat as he tried once again to get away.

Donghyuck pushed Taeyong against the wall, forcing Taeyong to look into his eyes. “Please, Taeyong _please_. I swear I’ll explain later but you have to trust me. I came to get you somewhere safe.”

And Taeyong saw it. Donghyuck’s bright silver eyes were wide open with panic no lower than Taeyong’s- he was just better at hiding it.

Taeyong went limp, nodding weakly as Donghyuck pulled away. “Finally. Now we-”

“Well, well, whatcha got there, Black?” said a slimy voice that made Taeyong shiver and Donghyuck tense up. _Black? Does he mean Donghyuck?_

The way Donghyuck’s entire stance changed could have been scary- he stood straighter, eyes cold with arrogance, chin up. “Nothing you shall worry about, Mulciber.”

The Death Eater didn’t seem to understand that, though. “That’s a mudblood, isn’t he? You got yourself a nice trophy, Black.”

Taeyong noticed the emphasis on the name _Black_ specifically.

“First learn my name and I’ll consider discussing secret things with you.” Donghyuck tugged onto Taeyong’s wrist to tag him along, making it look as rough as it could.

“We’re in the civilized west, not your little island of savages,” Mulciber hissed. “I’m using your proper name.”

Donghyuck’s jaw visibly clenched, but gladly he didn’t give in. Instead, he kept walking with dead silent Taeyong beside him.

“Where are you taking the mudblood?” Taeyong had no worth in the man’s view, it was clear, he was just a _thing_ the Death Eater would have to keep an eye on.

Donghyuck spun around with teeth grinding. “None of your bloody business.”

“Come on Black,” Mulciber sang, tilting his head. “Spill.”

“Interrogation,” Donghyuck spat. It was impressive how easy he could lie. “Some of us care about getting information, so does the Dark Lord.”

Mulciber backed with a snarl. “How come _you_ have been appointed with this?”

An arrogant smirk invaded Donghyuck’s lips. “I’m of high rank. I’ve proved myself worthy.”

For a heartbeat long, all Taeyong could hear was his heart beating as if it was trying to jump out of his chest. And Donghyuck’s, faintly.

“Black, you know what?” Mulciber stood straighter, dropping his outer robes to the ground and panic swirled in Taeyong’s stomach once again. “You’re spitting bullshit.”

Donghyuck stepped in front of Taeyong in a protective manner. “ _You_ dare question my loyalty?” He swung his wand between his fingers, eyes narrowing into two silver slits. “Come to your death, then.”

“It’s not mine that I intend to get,” The Death Eater spoke slowly.

Mulciber’s gaze shifted to Taeyong and his wand followed it in the air- Donghyuck was unbelievably fast as he pushed Taeyong out of the way. A millisecond later a sharp pain bloomed in the back of Taeyong’s head. His vision whitened then blurred- the last thing he could hear was a bloodcurdling scream following a spell- _sectumsempra!_

 

 

It was silent.

Oddly silent, Taeyong had to say. His throat was dry and the back of his head tingled with a dull pain. It took more than one try for Taeyong to be able to move his numb body since he hadn’t done so for a long time, at least he assumed. He couldn’t hear anything other than his breathing and a few others’ ones, also. There was someone doing so calmly beside him, that for sure; one from further came heavy and sharp, one close to it slow. Taeyong wasn’t alone and the smell of herbal medicine tickling at his nostrils along with the roughish fabric beneath his fingers told that this was the infirmary- so safe should be it. uneasy, Taeyong gathered the courage to look around.

A pair of silver eyes stared down at him, the wrong ones.

“At last you’re awake,” said Sicheng with his sophisticated British accent that always made Taeyong feel like a peasant in the Middle Ages as he closed his book, setting it aside. “How do you feel?”

Taeyong swallowed, pushing himself up on elbows. “Fine, pretty much. I… don’t want to be rude but what are you doing here?” He winced as the pain worsened out of the blue.

Sicheng reached for a glass of water beside the bed and some kind of herb, crumbling it into the water, handed it to Taeyong. “Here, drink this. Madam Kim said there wasn’t much damage in you and that you shall be fine in no time, and she left this for the pain.”

“Uhm…” Taeyong hesitated to drink, gaze shifting between Sicheng and the glass- rather the tattoo on Sicheng’s arm and the glass.

“I have no intentions of killing you.” Sicheng’s voice was filled with emotions Taeyong couldn’t quite decipher.  

Taeyong, now embarrassed, drank it in one go. “Thank you.” It was just linden, as far as he could tell.

The next words Sicheng spat in one go as he averted his gaze were so dry that he could have as well been mimicking how Professor Im teached History of Magic. “My brother almost died saving you and here I sit, trying to get you to trust me.”

“He-” Taeyong’s words got stuck in his throat as the word ‘almost’ flew over his head for a moment. “Is he-is he okay?”

“See for yourself,” was all Sicheng said as he cocked his head toward the bed next to the one Taeyong was in.

Taeyong did as he was told and his stomach responded to the sight by twisting. It took a moment to identify the boy lying on the bed; the injury must have been affecting his abilities because Donghyuck’s hair was now a raven black, someone had taken his piercings out and all his tattoos had faded off his skin, his sickly pale skin. Even from this distance his _too_ many scars that were hidden under the tattoos usually were visible enough to make Taeyong feel like throwing up. Whoever that had patched the large wound on his chest up seemingly hadn’t cared enough to clean the blood, now it had dried around it.

 _He got this trying to protect me._ Taeyong only then realized that there was another boy sitting next to Donghyuck’s bed. Mark wasn’t noticeable, both because he was wearing his usual dark clothes and he wasn’t moving at all. As if he was turned into a statue waiting, Mark sat there curled up into a ball with his arms hugging his knees to his chest, and eyes fixed on Donghyuck, not shifting for a single second. He was weary, it showed from how his eyelids hung heavy but he was trying to stay awake.

“So that’s why you’re sitting with me,” Taeyong chuckled in exhaustion, aware Mark wasn’t listening.

A sad smile ghosted over Sicheng’s mouth. “I quite enjoy your company, in fact. But… they both fancy each other- bloody hell, not even fancy at this point, they’re in love.”

Taeyong nodded, it was visible after all. “I didn’t know they were together. And I’d have thought you’d try to stop them, honestly… in a situation like this.”

“You and Hyuck are one of a kind,” Sicheng sighed, shoulders low. “They’re not together, for your knowledge- my dear brother is worried he’s going to get Mark hurt so bad that he keeps pushing Mark away as much as he can. I keep telling him that it’s foolish and that they both deserve happiness especially in times like this, but the stubbornness runs in our blood. Alas, Mark can protect himself astonishingly well. There’s nothing Hyuck should worry about yet here he is.”

Something clicked in Taeyong’s mind with that. His headache blasted against his skull for a moment before a memory swam back into Taeyong’s mind from the utter emptiness. Taeyong hadn’t been asleep the entire time since he had passed out, no, he remembered waking up once… but _that_ couldn’t be real. It must have been a trick of his mind, there was no way Mark could-

“-transform into a puma?” Sicheng let out a small chuckle. “Fair enough, it suits him. I was in a strong state of shock when I first learned though, I never considered him to be an Animagus.”

 _How the fuck_ \- Taeyong jolted up in bed, eyes open wide in horror. “Did you just-”

“-read your mind?” Sicheng raised a brow.

Taeyong gulped. _It’s impossible._

“No, it in fact is quite possible,” Sicheng replied. “Do you remember reading about Legilimency anywhere? I shouldn’t have revealed it like this, but I was born with the ability. I try not to do it when unnecessary, nevertheless it gets out of control when my mental state is unreliable.”

With a brief nod, Taeyong sank back into the bed. He had so many questions and no idea where to begin.

“Then I’ll start answering,” Sicheng said as he sat straighter. “I and Donghyuck are not Death Eaters, don’t look at the marks. We’re both the last members of our respective families, both being ancient pureblood houses, and when the war broke for the second time we got forced to join, we weren’t in a place we could refuse it. But we’ve been working as spies ever since –did anyone tell you about the Order of the Phoenix? We’re supplying them information, no matter how much Molly Weasley ‘hates sending kids into this’. No Death Eater has noticed our work, and the ones we suspected that do are simply not alive anymore. Even now, we’re here because we want the Death Eaters to think we’re trying to gain your trust while we’re in fact trying to get _theirs._ It’s the opposite.”

Taeyong’s heart ached, he couldn’t imagine living a double life like this in constant danger. He didn’t say anything to show concern since Sicheng could read it with ease. “That Death Eater referred to Donghyuck as Black.”

“Oh, yes, Mulciber does it quite often.” Sicheng began shaking his leg. “Donghyuck was born as a Black, yes- Solar Black, often shortened to Sol. I was Leo Lestrange, if you’re wondering. As you can guess, we both have British fathers of the respective families and mothers from different cultures. And for reasons, we’re using names from those languages instead. Mulciber and a few other Death Eaters enjoy throwing racist remarks to our side whenever they’re able to.”

“That’s shitty,” Taeyong blurted.

Sicheng looked amused with a little smirk. “You’re telling me.”

Taeyong still had lots he wanted to ask but he wasn’t sure if he was crossing a border he shouldn’t be. Once again he forgot though, that Sicheng could hear it all. _This is so annoying, how do the Slytherins stand this?_

“No, we’re not technically brothers but aren’t families formed by choices rather than blood? Donghyuck and I share a grandmother, so we’re cousins- half cousins, if you’d prefer. We’ve only had each other as a family through most of our lives though, so he’s more of a brother to me. That’s a story for another day though, since…” Sicheng glanced towards the entrance once he stopped mid-sentence, his smile appearing again. “…someone wants to see you.”

 _Ten!_ The useless blood pumping organ in Taeyong’s chest skipped a single beat. Was it really Ten or was Taeyong just too hopeful? He pushed himself out of bed, ignoring the protests made by his aching head and writhing. He turned towards the door expecting the small frame, instead got crushed into a bear hug with the familiar spicy scent welcoming him.

“You alright?” Youngho asked as he pulled away at last, hands heavy on Taeyong’s shoulders.

Taeyong gave a nod. “Just hit my head, I’ll be fine. Is everyone okay?”

“Yeah. Taeil’s at the Ravenclaw Tower helping to calm down some youngers. I left Jungwoo at our dorm to rest and Jaehyun’s going to be there soon too. Mark… I’m certain you’ve seen him. Has he slept yet?”

“No,” Taeyong sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t think he will until Donghyuck wakes up and it doesn’t seem so soon.”

“The kid got injured pretty bad,” said Youngho grimly. “Madam Kim wasn’t able to heal it, she even said he wouldn’t make it –thank Merlin Mark wasn’t there. If it wasn’t for Auror Zhang, he would’ve been gone for by now. He said he dealt with that curse before, it makes sense.”

Taeyong’s throat had a knot all over again. “He really was going to… die, trying to save me.”

Youngho’s lips curled into a small smile. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“What about you?” asked Taeyong, knowing full well Youngho was exhausted. His eyes surrounded by dark circles were barely open, his shoulders were slumped. Youngho _was_ the Head Boy after all, and a damn good one. Youngho wouldn’t come here until he made sure every single student was safe, him being there to get Taeyong meant he had achieved so and it of course had made him this tired. His only injuries seemed to be a few bruises, though.

Youngho’s smile just grew wider. “Fine, don’t worry. Just tired.”

“I can see.”

It turned silent except for the breathing sounds and where Sicheng was trying to convince Mark to rest, apparently failing. Youngho gave Taeyong’s shoulder a gentle squeeze before heading there. Taeyong followed.

Mark listened in mere silence until a few minutes later when he burst out. “I’m not leaving him like this, damn it! He wouldn’t if it was me on the bed!”

“You’re only tiring yourself,” Youngho insisted. “You can’t help.”

“As if _you_ wouldn’t do the fucking same if it was Taeil here!” Mark spat, glaring up to meet Youngho’s gaze.

Youngho flinched. “Low blow.”

“Yeah and I’m not fucking sorry.” Mark turned his attention to the bed, eyes shining wet.

Sicheng shook his head at the other two. He didn’t open his mouth even but the message was clear. _We’re just pissing into the wind._

Taeyong wanted to try just once more. “Mark, please listen to us? He wouldn’t want you to tire yourself like this, go get some sleep. Sicheng is here and Donghyuck’s not going anywhere.”

Mark seemed like he considered for a second until he snorted, torso shaking with laughter. “You don’t know Donghyuck at all, do you? He fucking hates my guts. He’s going to tell me to go to hell as soon as he wakes up.”

“Then… why?” Taeyong’s brows furrowed, this wasn’t something he understood.

“That’s called ‘love’, too wild concept?” Mark whispered, eyes closing. “He can keep hating me as much as he wants. He can keep insulting me to keep me away. I don’t care. No force on earth is taking me away until I’m sure he’s alright.”

“You can go now,” said a hoarse voice so low that it wouldn’t be hearable if it wasn’t for the quietness as Donghyuck opened his eyes in two slits. “I’m good, you see? Bloody good. You can stop troubling your arse about me.”

Mark jumped back as if Donghyuck had punched him in the stomach. “Hyuck…”

Donghyuck spoke louder once he cleared his throat. “Get the hell out. Find someone to snog while you’re at it, so you can get me out of your bloody head.”

In the blink of an eye Mark was standing on his feet, face twitching with a turmoil of emotions. Ha said nothing as he turned around, he was clearly hurt. Taeyong had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming as Mark’s figure began morphing until a puma was walking in his place.

Youngho smiled as an apology once Taeyong turned to him, questions blinking in his gaze. “I’ll explain later, promise.”

Donghyuck stared longingly after Mark, jaw clenched; Taeyong could swear he saw a single tear glide down Donghyuck’s cheek as he did but he got rid of it as Sicheng sat down next to him. Sicheng had an understanding smile but Donghyuck’s cold, storming glare shut it down quick.

Taeyong didn’t need to talk with Youngho in order for them to move together in unison- friendship of years brought people this far, didn’t it? They had perfect harmony between. Youngho laid an arm around Taeyong’s shoulders gentle as ever and they started walking from the infirmary to Merlin knows where.

“I can find my room myself,” Taeyong complained minutes later as he slipped out of Youngho’s protective embrace. “You go.”

“In hell,” Youngho replied, stopping once they were at the bottom of the stairs that led them to the ground floor. “You’re staying with us.”

Taeyong cocked his head aside. “Us being..?”

“Me and my boys, Taeil too of course,” Youngho shrugged, scratching the back of his nape- his nervous habit. “I asked Jungwoo to see if he can go grab Yuta, so we’ll see how that ends up. Me and Jae’s room is big enough to host us all. Plus… some of us don’t take as much space.”

Taeyong doubted that sincerely since Johnny was a good 192 tall while Jungwoo and Jaehyun were both close to being 185. Mark was the shortest out of the bunch being 175 and barely any taller than Taeyong, Yuta, or Taeil but he still was muscular- what did these Gryffindors even get fed? All of them looked like they were students at day and boxers at night. Still, he decided not to comment on it.

 

Taeyong hadn’t been in the Gryffindor dormitory often to start with but it had been a long time since his last- the experience was always intriguing. In contrast to the calm hustle of the Hufflepuff dormitory, Gryffindors’ one was bright, flashy and _loud_. Not as in sounds, the common room was empty at this hour but the way it was decorated was so loud, everything stuck out on its own.

Thank god the rules about rooming had changed a while ago so Youngho was able to share a room with his one year junior best friend Jaehyun. It wasn’t too big of a room and the current crowd made it look smaller if that was possible at all.

As soon as Taeyong set a foot in the room something jumped onto him, something that smelled of smoke and herbs because of all that time spent in front of a cauldron making potions.

“I was so worried!” Yuta sucked in a deep breath as he hugged Taeyong tight to himself. “You okay? Ten told me you were in the infirmary-”

 _Ten._ There wasn’t enough air for Taeyong’s lungs. “Just hit my head, I’ll be fine. Donghyuck has it way worse. He’ll heal too but it’ll take longer.”

Yuta pulled back, nodding sadly. “I heard… I was going to come and check on you two but Sicheng asked me to stay back and keep the kids safe. Doyoung can’t fight for his own sake and Ten tends to panic under stress. It was all on me.”

“Is everyone alright?” He couldn’t have straight up asked for who he wanted to know about, right? Taeyong’s eyes searched Yuta for any sign but thank god he seemed uninjured.

Yuta _was_ smart enough. “Ten’s fine. He’s back strolling with the other Prefects.”

Taeyong blushed in embarrassment.

“Unless you’re developing a crush on Doyoung-“ Taeyong noted how Yuta’s voice trembled when he said that. “-there’s no reason for you to ask about him. You saw Sicheng and Donghyuck. I’m here. That leaves us with Ten only.” Yuta smiled, quirking a brow.  

Taeyong decided to ignore Yuta’s comments and talk to the others instead.

Jungwoo was sitting on a bed with legs crossed. “Hey there,” He said, waving with his sweater paw.

“Hi.” Jaehyun was on the floor next to Jungwoo, a soft smile that showed his dimple on his lips. He leaned back as Jungwoo dipped a hand in his hair.

“I’m glad you guys are okay,” said Taeyong. His heavy eyes made Jaehyun look tired and Jungwoo had a few bruises here and there but they mostly seemed okay, and that was what that mattered.

“Mark, how many times do I have to tell you to not sleep on my bed?” Youngho whined out loud beside Taeyong and it again took a moment for Taeyong’s brain to process what he was seeing.

The puma lying on Youngho’s bed made a small sound, tilting his head. “Mrow?”

“I don’t want to clean lion fur off it!”

“Mrr?” The puma flipped onto his back, wiggling and looking up to Youngho with his large golden eyes.

Youngho sighed. “I’m not petting your tummy.”

It was the puma’s turn to whine. Youngho gave up and moved to sit next to him, scratching the puma’s tummy with a blank expression.

Yuta let a soft chuckle. “Isn’t he adorable?”

Taeyong had to agree. “Yeah. Did you know it?”

“Nah, but Mark is basically a lion enough that it isn’t too hard to get used to.”

Youngho cleared his throat where he was sitting. “Ignore Simba- I mean Mark. He sleeps better in this form if he’s feeling bad.”

 _Of course he feels bad, the boy he loves just told him to fuck off after Mark saved his life._ “Simba. Really, Youngho?”

Jaehyun laughed from where he sat with his head resting against Jungwoo’s knee. “Come on, we had to do that.”

“Do what?” said Taeil as he slid into the room with a weary smile. Youngho went straighter, joy spreading to his face once Taeil sat down next to him. “I’m not even asking why there’s a damn lion here. Nothing seems too impossible after… well, today.”

The puma –should Taeyong call it Simba?- whined again, nudging Taeil with his tail as if he got offended.

“It’s a puma.” Jungwoo looked proud as he said so. “And it’s Mark. He gets offended when you simply call him a lion.”

Taeil was silent for a moment. “Not surprised at all.”

Youngho wrapped his arm around Taeil who leaned into him almost at the exact same moment, then looked up to meet Jaehyun’s gaze. “We need to explain a couple of things, right?”

“Precisely.” Yuta quirked a brow. “Like how Mark is an Animagus and how all of you managed to hide it all this long.”

Jungwoo and Youngho shared a look that was unreadable to the others. Regardless, it was Jaehyun to speak up. “They all are Animagi, actually. All three. Because of me.”

“ _What_?” Taeil and Taeyong blurted out in unison, Yuta was silent. Taeil continued. “How- and why?”

Jungwoo ran his fingers through his hair as Jaehyun tensed visibly, comforting him. “They did it for me,” Jaehyun repeated, tugging onto the collar of his hoodie to reveal his collarbone. “I’m… a werewolf.”

Taken aback, Taeyong inhaled a sharp one as his eyes fixed on Jaehyun. Taeyong could clearly recall the day of Youngho and Doyoung’s fight and how he noticed _something_ on Jaehyun before he hid it. It was a scar shaped as a bite right there against all doubts one could have in this.

“Well.” Yuta shrugged as he spoke. “This changes nothing.”

“It does,” muttered Jaehyun.

 _It does,_ mused Taeyong with fear he knew that was useless pitting in his heart. Jaehyun was still the same Jaehyun that would never even hurt a fly but it didn’t change the fact that Muggleborn Taeyong had grown to perceive werewolves as monsters, as something inhuman. He didn’t hate Jaehyun but he couldn’t get comfortable with this so soon either, it was never as simple.

Yuta’s stubbornness was not easy to break. “You’re still our Jung Jaehyun that speaks with an Irish accent when excited and is the Chaser of Gryffindor _and_ the Captain of next year, maybe also a Head Boy for all Merlin knows.”

“I’m a monster.” Jaehyun’s gaze burned.

Yuta exhaled, lips twitching. “You’re not.”

Jungwoo shook his head. “Don’t waste your breath. We’ve been telling him this for years but nothing has gotten through his skull yet.”

“Classic Gryffindor denseness,” Taeil said rolling his eyes. “Full offense. You guys are so dramatic. What are you are doesn’t define _who_ you are. It’s your actions, and I’m sorry Jaehyun but you’re the last person in this room to even step on a bug. You’re not a monster as long as you choose not to be, and you never will be.”

Youngho was beaming at Taeil. “Thanks for the common sense, only an idiot would believe that bullshit.”

Taeyong shrank, shoulders slumping and hugged his knees close. Yuta gave him an understanding smile from where he was on the other bed- thank _god_ one person understood.

“That’s why we’re Animagi,” Jungwoo spoke after a bit of silence. “Werewolves don’t harm animals. We wanted to be able to take care of him on full moons. Jaehyun tried to stop us but well, we obviously weren’t gonna listen.”

“So Mark’s a puma.” Taeil scratched the tummy of Simba who purred happily, closing his golden eyes. “You two?”

In the blink of an eye Jungwoo’s physique melted, reshaping into something that stood on all fours. Taeyong’s mouth hung open as ginger fur appeared all around the shape- it had taken less than a second but it felt like minutes. A large fox sat in Jungwoo’s place now, two pieces of carved onyx as eyes fixed on the others.

“Oh my god,” Taeil squealed.

Yuta cooed as he leaned forward. “That’s so adorable… a fox suits you very well.”

“Wait until you see Youngho too,” Jaehyun said cheekily.

An annoyed pout was what Youngho did. “Shut up.”

“Making fun of you is too… well, fun.” Jaehyun grinned wider as he made a heart sign in the air.

Jungwoo didn’t morph back, instead curled up in the bed with his fluffy tail around. His eyes shone with wit while Mark was simply laying down demanding pats. _It’s cute_ , Taeyong thought.

Taeil spun around to flash his most convincing smile at Youngho. “So, show me?”

Youngho exhaled. “Just don’t laugh.”

“We won’t,” assured Yuta.

It wasn’t as simple since once Youngho morphed the animal in his place was… a corgi.

Yes, a fucking _corgi._

Taeil and Yuta burst out laughing but Taeyong held his own laughter back with nibbling on his lip, just for the sake of not embarrassing Youngho further. Taeyong knew him well enough to say that Youngho likely wasn’t fond of this form, neither would he enjoy being made fun of for it.

The corgi made an offended _woof_ before he waddled to jump and curl into Taeyong’s lap. Taeyong did find it a little odd that the dog in his arms is his friend but he welcomed it regardless. Taeyong appreciated the warmth. He began scratching the corgi’s nape, smiling down.

Taeil’s mouth formed a frown. “Youngho, sorry if we offended you.”

“Yeah, we just…” Yuta’s explanation faded with him muttering something in Japanese.

The corgi woofed again, burying himself deeper into Taeyong’s embrace.

 

 

 

Soon enough, Taeyong was laying in one of the two beds with Yuta by his side. Youngho and Taeil had claimed the other thanks to their advantage of being an official couple, Yuta had dragged Taeyong with himself to claim the other and Jaehyun was on the floor with some extra blankets under him. It was nothing he couldn’t handle or at least that was what Jaehyun had assured them of. Taeyong didn’t feel so bad about it.

He still couldn’t sleep. Even Jungwoo and Mark who didn’t morph back were curled on the floor in a peaceful sleep. Taeyong stood wide awake still, staring at the ceiling with an arm under his head. Yuta’s steady breathing beside him was comforting and Taeyong had even tried at some point to just watch Yuta in his sleep, so maybe he’d get tired enough too? Nothing had worked. It might be the dull headache that he still had or something else, who knew? One thing Taeyong was sure of, his aching eyes must be all red already.  

Taeyong gave up on his hopes for sleep. No idea what was bugging him or if there was something that bugged him at all, he pushed the blanket off his legs- it wasn’t necessary anymore anyway, the weather was hot enough. The blanket was only there for the sake of the cold blooded creature that happened to be his best friend. Taeyong was careful not to step on Jaehyun or the two Animagi, noting how Jungwoo was closer to Jaehyun while Mark was on the other side of the room, as he danced his way out. Those three months of ballet lessons he had taken at age seven with his sister were finally paying off.

He strolled through the halls with hands tucked in pockets and neck bent forward. It was stupid, really, to be walking around this carelessly while the school had just gotten out of an attack. That must be why it was so damn quiet, Taeyong realized, everyone must be in the safety of their rooms. Well, everyone except Taeyong, that is- the resident fool of the school. He didn’t care enough. Everyone was going to die one day this or that way, so why worry?

So he walked, walked and walked until a familiar but still unknown voice called out to him. “Mr. Lee, you’re supposed to be in your room, no?”

Taeyong’s entire body tensed as he stopped in an instant, waiting for the professor to catch up. “Yes, sir. I am.”

Lee Taemin’s agile moves came to an end when he turned around in front of Taeyong. “As your professor, I’m supposed to report this to the Head of your house and send you right back.”

Taeyong nodded, taking in Taemin’s slight accent that he couldn’t quite tell the origin of.

“You’re friends with Head Boy Seo,” continued Taemin and crossed his arms. “You out of all people should know that you shouldn’t break the rules especially in times like this.”

“I’m sorry, professor.” Taeyong didn’t dare look up as he tapped his foot against the ground.

Taemin sighed. “Relax, Mr Lee. You’re not in trouble.”

With that Taeyong’s head jerked up, eyes open wide. “I’m… not?”

“Indeed.” Taemin gestured Taeyong to follow as he began walking. “I’m not the strictest professor here and I care about the wellbeing of everyone. Some might argue that I overdo it, but I don’t care the slightest.”

Taeyong wasn’t sure what to say, so he kept his mouth shut. Though he understood what Taemin meant. _I know you aren’t okay and I’m not going to make it worse. I’ll try to help._

“Tell me,” said Taemin as they wandered through the castle, air thick with dead silence. “What’s keeping you up?”

Hesitant, Taeyong looked away. “What about you, sir? Why are _you_ awake?”

“Worry,” admitted Taemin without needing to breathe at all. “Worrying about the war, worrying about my friends, my boyfriend, my students… the list is long.”

“Your boyfriend?”

Taemin showed a crooked smile. “I’m only thirty, that’s too young to marry. You must’ve seen Auror Choi around, the only reason he’s assigned here is that he wants to keep close to me. Anyway, he’s the only family I have, and my students… some of them whom I consider to be my own kids.”

Taeyong nodded in silence and waited for Taemin to continue.

Taemin’s eyes were sapphire coloured and the dark circles around made them look even deeper as his gaze fell to the ground. “Donghyuck worries me the most. He’s reckless and has lost all hope on surviving already that he doesn’t care about himself. He’s willing to sacrifice himself for anyone. I’m afraid the only reason he carries on is Sicheng and if he loses that too…”

 _He has no idea about Mark,_ Taeyong realized.

“…and Sicheng is no better. He has no will to live in him at all. The thing keeping him alive is Donghyuck. They’ve built all their support on how they mutually depend on each other and I’m worried one day it’s going to collapse. I’ve been watching over them both for more than ten years and it just…”

“You care a lot,” mumbled Taeyong. The way Taemin spoke was so sincere that it was impossible to doubt it.

Taemin’s thick lips formed a sad smile. “I do. And because I care this much, my students see me as a kind of a parental figure, an elder brother if I may. They often share their problems and feelings with me.”

Taeyong cocked his head up and down in slow motion, where was this supposed to lead to?

“It’s certainly not my secret to share but I know there’s someone who wants to talk you,” Taemin dropped the bomb like that. “Someone who wants to fix a few misunderstandings.”

A bunch of names appeared in Taeyong’s mind before they all faded back into the darkness and left just one- but why would he want to ‘fix a few misunderstandings’, there was none… if Taeyong was thinking correct, that was.

The glint in Taemin’s eyes said that he indeed was correct. “Astronomy Tower, if you want to,” was all he said as he stirred on his feet and began to walk.

 

 

After about five minutes and an endless amount of stairs climbed, Taeyong took a second to catch his breath as he shivered. The top of the Astronomy Tower was always so chilly, yet another reason Taeyong had dropped the subject back years ago, and being there at the dead of the night made everything just worse. The thin pieces of fabric covering Taeyong’s body didn’t offer much of a protection. Even the cold didn’t stop him from moving though, nothing could once he saw the figure gazing near the very edge.

Hugging his arms for warmth, Taeyong swallowed thickly and headed there with slow steps. “You’re going to fall if you get too close.”

Ten didn’t get startled, he didn’t spare Taeyong a single stare nor made the slightest move to turn. “This is where Headmaster fell.”

Taeyong nodded. Youngho had informed him of the loss, it made sense that Ten as a Prefect felt bad for not being able to do anything about it. “I’m sorry…”

“It made me think, you know.” Ten raised his gaze from the ground up to the sky, elbows resting against the rampage. “Just how easy it is to lose people you care about in these times.”

Considering it for a second, Taeyong took another step to get closer and lean on the edge like Ten. “I know how it feels.”

Hadn’t he been thinking of the same thing for hours? Especially seeing Taeil run into Youngho’s arms and bury himself there after noticing that Youngho was okay. And Donghyuck telling Mark off to no end after barely surviving just to keep Mark safe. It was so easy to lose someone and damn hard to keep them safe. And even harder to just feel nothing, but that was off limits for Taeyong. He was way past that point. _So what now?_

Ten’s hands grabbed at the stone so hard that his knuckles whitened in an instant. “Then why, Taeyong? Just why?”

It hit Taeyong like a brick that there wasn’t anything he needed to correct- Ten already knew.  Ten already knew and he didn’t want to ask if Taeyong had lied but rather to learn _why_ he did it, Ten wanted answers. Simple as it is.

To see that Taeyong couldn’t from a semi coherent sentence, Ten continued to spit. “I learned from Sicheng. _Sicheng_ , out of all people! It could’ve been Yuta, it could’ve been Youngho, but _no._  I had to hear it from a bloody Legilimens only because he saw that you weren’t willing to reveal it any time sooner and he didn’t want me to suffer for longer!”

Why would Ten even suffer, that was what Taeyong couldn’t get between all those sentences. “Ten, I…”

“Why would you even lie about that?” Ten spun around, eyes wide and pleading under his mess of black hair. “I don’t understand, why would you look at me in the eyes and tell me you feel nothing for me? Why, Taeyong?”

Taeyong opened his mouth so say something, _anything_ but his lips were trembling too hard to make it work. “I…”

Ten’s chest rose with his sharp inhales. “Please look at my eyes. Look and repeat it. Repeat that you feel nothing so I know that I’m torturing myself for nothing. Please.”

“Why does it matter?” whimpered Taeyong, unable to meet Ten’s gaze under no circumstance. He couldn’t let himself believe the only sensible option in this situation. There was no way things would go the way Taeyong wished with his whole heart for them to do. It was just impossible!

“Why wouldn’t it matter?” Ten begged, gulping before going on. “It would change everything. You have to know that I care about you deeply, so why…”

Taeyong’s short circuiting brain was unable to render the meaning of those words. “You can’t, you… shouldn’t.”

Ten took a step forward to stare into Taeyong’s eyes, Ten being a couple of inches shorter made it possible. “And why exactly shouldn’t I? You’re amazing, Taeyong, I-”

“No, no-” Taeyong shook his head violently, why couldn’t Ten understand? “I’m a no one. A Muggleborn. I have no one other than a mom that calls once during holidays and a sister that thinks I’m a freak. I’m not the smartest or the most beautiful or just anything, and…”

“For Merlin’s sake.” Ten closed his eyes, lashes fluttering in anger. “Why should any of that matter? I don’t care about your blood status or the family that treats you like shit, I only care about you! You, Taeyong, possibly the man with the kindest heard and the most amazing mind I’ve seen. I don’t care about anything else.”

A sigh left Taeyong’s lips. “Ten, you… you’re perfect, perfect in every way I just can’t compete with. I’ll never fit in with your life. I’m just not enough.” It hurt to say but it was the truth, trying to place Taeyong in Ten’s life would be no different than shoving the piece of another one into a puzzle that had been done already. It would never fit, thus would even destroy the puzzle itself.

Ten’s lips trembled. “That’s the point, Taeyong, I… I’m so _tired_ of having to be perfect, don’t you understand? I always have to be the one that’s calm and takes care of stuff while ignoring his own needs and problems. Everyone, even my oh-so-perfect friends expect me to be so flawless that I… can’t feel human anymore. Most people don’t look at me any different than how they would look at a statue. As long as I stand there looking pretty and perfect they don’t care about me. I’m so sick of it… I want to feel human again.”

Taeyong was a terrible person for never realizing any of this, but they all were true. He had heard from Youngho before that Ten handled responsibility more than any of the other Prefects did and never made a single mistake. He even handled some of what Youngho had on his plate as the Head Boy and never complained about it, once. His tight bound circle of Slytherins all looked up to him when it came to decisions and having noticed all this, guilty burned in Taeyong’s stomach.

“What does that have to do with me?” was the sentence that Taeyong blurted at the end, though.

“You never expected me to be perfect.” A sad smile took over Ten’s lips. “Remember how we met?”

Taeyong also smiled as he recalled. “You were in the bathroom crying before a test and so was I. We just kind of ended up comforting each other.”

Ten continued with a bit of hesitation. “I was in the bathroom that time because whenever I cried at the dorm because of stress someone would tell me to suck it up. I couldn’t. And you were the first person that didn’t judge me because of that.”

“I’m…” Taeyong nibbled on his lower lip. “I’m sorry.”

Once again turning to look away, Ten sighed. “I can come up with a thousand other examples, but you need to understand me. You’ve been my friend for ages and I never felt as comfortable with anyone as I felt with you. You never expected me to be perfect and accepted me with all my flaws. That’s why I care about you so much, Taeyong, that’s why… that’s why I like you.”

“I never thought you would like me back,” mumbled Taeyong, still dizzy. He wasn’t bothered by the cold anymore, even. “So I lied, just so I wouldn’t ruin our friendship.”

A moment of silence passed until Ten spoke again in a low voice. “Can we… try? No labels, no expectations…”

Taeyong understood why Ten wouldn’t straight up ask to be together. Everything was too new and hell, there was a war outside of those walls he could see crystal clear right now. Considering that Taeyong was a Muggleborn it would be fairly easy for him to…

As if he heard Taeyong thinking, Ten reached to caress Taeyong’s cheek. “That’s not going to happen.”

“How do you even know what I’m thinking about?” Taeyong couldn’t hold his lips back from smiling.

“I just do.” Ten then took Taeyong’s hand in his own- a nice view considering Ten had smaller hands. “And I promise, you’ll be safe. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

It was a promise that the wind could carry away just as easy as it stole their breaths, yet Taeyong still took it. The important part wasn’t whether or not Ten actually _could_ do it but rather if he would do it, and Ten had promised to do so.

Still hesitating, Taeyong wrapped an arm around Ten’s shoulders to pull him closer. They had never been this close physically and that was why they were this awkward, but it felt just so natural to do. Ten laid his head against Taeyong’s shoulder with a sigh as his own arms hugged Taeyong’s waist, nose tucked in Taeyong’s t-shirt.

Taeyong let his eyes close as the hesitation faded and he held Ten to his chest tight and secure. This was more normal than anything Taeyong had done in his life, ever. And if anyone tried to take this, what he had craved for his whole life, away from him; so be it.

Taeyong would gladly fight the whole world, and Ten would be there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was probably a little confusing as there are a few plot points i left unrevealed on purpose for future works, so if you have any questions feel free to hit me up !!
> 
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> kudos and comments are appreciated ♡
> 
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